Amazônias brasileira e peruana: entre a luta pela terra e a questão ambiental (1960-2020)

In this paper we propose a comparative study of the colonization processes carried out in the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon from the 1960s onwards and their consequences. In both countries we have the notion, developed by regional and national elites, that there were demographic voids to fill and that it was necessary to occupy them, whether with national or even foreign capital. Brazil's “Integrate so as not to integrate” or the “Conquest of Peru by the Peruvians” intensified with the rise of the respective military regimes in 1964 (Brazil) and 1968 (Peru). We will discuss the colonization projects, the struggle between settlers and land grabbers in the Brazilian case and the re-emergence of indigenous land struggle issues in both societies. In addition, we will analyze the emergence of environmental issues, since the conflicts over territories in both countries are strongly linked to the notion that local populations outline of defending nature as a possibility for maintaining their living conditions.